Two days after the event I have just noticed my typographical error so I have had to type something here to get my 10 characters for an edit! Aaagh, it still says "duckiling" on the photo!
I bred some Carolinas a few years back. From memory the ducklings looked just like this one. Mandarin ducklings of this age have a slightly more gingery hue, reflecting the different adult plumages.
Carolina duckling... I've bred both species over forty odd years, and this looks like a Mandarin to me. Too gingery to be Carolina.
I was presuming this is a close-up of one of the ducklings from the longer shots of them with the two parents. If so how can it be a Mandarin duckling with a Carolina mother?
Carolina duckling Where the two species are kept together, they often lay in each other's nests. Where there is competition, either species could end up hatching a mixed brood. What often happens then, is that only the Mandarins survive, as they are slightly more robust.
I see. Maybe that's why Mandarins were able to establish in the wild in the UK, whereas Carolinas haven't done so. Janet Kear also suggests the Carolina's failure to do so is linked to a crucial difference in the laying dates of the two species in the wild- Mandarin lay slightly earlier so that in the UK the ducklings have a longer growing period available- I think that was it.
Carolina duckling... Not quite. Carolinas usually lay earlier than mandarins, but take a little longer to fledge from a smaller duckling to start with. So, they are more vulnerable to our inclement weather, for longer.
